He's Growing Cotton In Illinois

He's Growing Cotton In Illinois CROPS New Crops 24-5-22 Illinois farmer Clifford West has a dream. He wants to wear a pair of jeans and a shirt made out of cotton he grows himself. There's a problem with that dream, however. He lives in Illinois, which is not known as prime cotton-growing territory. But West has been experimenting for several years. In 1999, he harvested about 100 lbs. of cotton from a small plot. This year, he planted four acres near his Kirkwood, Ill., home. One problem he's had in the past is that the cotton plants grow too tall. So this year he's spraying them with a chemical to inhibit the growth of the stalks. And in the fall he will spray the plants with a chemical that will cause the leaves to drop off and open the boll. Although the shorter growing season is against him, West plans to persist with his plans. "I had a guy tell me I couldn't do it," he says with a laugh. "I wanted to prove him wrong."

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